Politics of the Yellow "Sewol" Ribbon

Yellow ribbon isthe symbol of the Sewolincident,a ferry disaster that killed 304 passengers three years ago today. All over South Korea, tiny yellow ribbons dangle from people’s backpacks, wallets, bicycles, and on the windowsills of small cafés. Politicians — mostly from the liberal factions — don the yellow ribbons to show their solidarity. But the yellow ribbon is as much a symbol of division as unity. It’s a testament to how politicized the Sewolincident has become in South Korea; how the f